Pregnant teen dies of cancer

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- A 16-year-old girl who was at the center of the Dominican Republic's abortion debate died of complications from cancer, hospital officials said.

The girl, who had been undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia, died Friday morning, CNN reported.

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She became the focus of the abortion discussion in the Dominican Republic because her life was at risk due to the country's anti-abortion laws.

Doctors were hesitant to give her treatment because chemotherapy could have ended her pregnancy, which would have been a violation of the Dominican Constitution, which bans abortion. The teenager was finally given chemotherapy 20 days after she was admitted to the hospital